Pinky Swear
by Aurora18021
Summary: Sequential drabbles set after BDM about River and Jayne and secrets...will be Rayne
1. Red

**Pinky Swear**

1.0Red

Jayne had been enjoying a nice bowl of soup for a midnight snack, when a slim figure with long hair glided into the room, her head bowed.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Jayne determined to ignore the crazy girl in the room. Since Miranda, she had pretty much kept to herself on the bridge, and so long as she didn't pick a knife up in his direction, Jayne could deal.

He heard the faucet turn on, but didn't look over his shoulder. He slurped his soup loudly, finishing off the noodles he had saved for last.

When the sound of running water didn't end, Jayne frowned a little. He picked up his bowl and walked over to the sink.

"Yer wastin' water," he told the girl, watching as she buried her hands in the forming pool of soapy water. She remained silent save for a soft grunt of frustration.

Feeling an edge of nervousness, Jayne set his bowl on the table, crossing his arms. "What ya got there, Crazy?"

"It won't come off," River murmured, sliding her hands out of the water. She set the scrubber for dishes next to the sink.

Jayne watched as pink water dripped down her arm as she wiped at the streaks of tears on her cheeks.

"What the—" he stopped himself, his jaw tight. "Yer hands are rubbed raw."

A quivering sigh escaped her lips. "It stains hers digits, the creases and wrinkles. It won't fade away…it just seeps into her pores." Her voice cracked painfully.

"Aw hell," Jayne grumbled. "Yer gonna need special stuff for yer hands." He reached behind him for a towel, tossing it to the girl.

It just hit her chest and fluttered to the ground. She didn't even register the gesture, just kept staring at her hands.

"How can I continue my activities if I leave stains everywhere? Captain would not be pleased if I left a mess. Equations must remain indisputably balanced," she muttered shaking her head.

"There's nothin' on yer hands, girl. Just yer _feng-le_ brain talkin'," Jayne told her. "Now, go git the doc for some ointment stuff."

"But there is," she whispered fearfully. "Ghosts coat my hands red, red, red."

Jayne paused. "Blood?" He heard himself asking.

"Sustains the body," River murmured. "Layers upon layers, so hard to distinguish where it all begins."

"'s just Reaver blood," Jayne tried, "don't matter none. They is too gone after…well, ya know."

"No…" River's voice was so quiet; Jayne had to struggle to hear it. "Triggers render the girl helpless to implications and instructions planted inside the bruised brain. She…I…did not will it so. But they did."

Jayne felt his whole body tense. Here it was, the dirty truth nobody, especially not the Captain or her brother, wanted to know. She had killed before. She really was dangerous.

"Oh!" River gasped, meeting Jayne's face with wet eyes. "I broke it! Oh no. Certain pieces need to stay confined to their boxes in dusty rooms. I violated this decree."

Muttering, she continued, "Broken doll with leaks everywhere. Now the missing bits have voice and sound…Oh, I opened the box." Her fingers danced around her face in nervousness.

Jayne stood there, his mouth slight open. He had his chance, right now. He could get the prissy doc and his _feng-le_ sister off the boat. Right now.

He opened his mouth to holler for Mal, but something stopped him. He couldn't tell what it was, but staring down at her big, luminous whiskey eyes shifted something.

"Don't be sayin' this stuff, _dong ma_?" Jayne told her fiercely. "An' this con-vo-sation never happened."

"I comprehend," River blinked slowly. "Just a dusty room," she nodded. "Pinky swear?" She held up her raw little digit.

Jayne scoffed, but held up his larger, calloused one. "Yeah, pinky swear."

They linked fingers and River leaned forward, biting her thumb. "Your turn."

Rolling his eyes at the childish move, he complied, biting his thumb too. He immediately stepped back, letting go of her finger, not sure how he felt about touching any bit of River.

"Go ta yer room," he told her. "Doc'd be madder than hell if he knew ya were wanderin' 'round at night."

River drew back, her posture straightening. "He'll never know. Quiet as a church mouse."

Jayne nodded jerkily. "Right." He watched as she gracefully moved, nearly hovering over the floor. This made them even. She had saved him, and the others, and he kept her secret. All evened out.

"Hey," he called.

River paused, glancing over her shoulder.

Before he could stop the gorram stupid words coming out, he said, "I've killed folk an' I'm alright. So… y'll be fine, someday an' all."

River smiled faintly. "Someday over the rainbow."


	2. Innocence

**2.0 Innocence**

(A/N: this chapter came to me before I had seen the R. Tam Sessions, but it is very similar so I incorporated a little of it in here, forgive me.)

_**The Academy**_

_**Interview Room 2**_

_**Interviewee: R. Tam # 12**_

…"_Where do you see yourself in ten years?" _

_River paused, a shy smile on her lips. "I want to work in a research laboratory, maybe at the Radisson Biotechnology Research Center. Last summer, Simon took me there for a tour. I liked all the beakers and test tubes, and it was fun watching them." she lowered her voice, "one of the researcher's equation was unbalanced. I helped him identify the miscalculation."_

"_Simon, your brother?"_

_River nodded eagerly. "Yes, he's a trauma surgeon. He's the best intern in Capital City." She brushed a curl behind her ear, trying not to appear too nervous._

"_What interested you about our Academy, River?" _

"_The academics," she answered promptly. "School sometimes seems…slow. They try to meet my accommodations by giving me extra work, but… I want to be more challenged."_

"_Well as I'm sure you and your parents have seen from our brochure and tour, we have an extremely rigorous program for dedicated students with exceptional abilities."_

_River nodded again, her eyes alight. "Yes, both my parents and I agree this is an exciting opportunity for me."_

"_And you, River, are an exciting new prospect for us. We do expect our students to live in the dormitories here on campus, will that be a problem?"_

"_No," River replied, pulling on her dress a little. "My parents would very much like a reprieve from me for a little while," she joked. _

"_Good, good. I know you will make a wonderful addition to our Academy, and with our guidance, I am sure you will be the best biotech researcher."_

_River laughed a little, feeling a blush bloom on her cheeks. "Oh, I doubt that."_

"_Nonsense, the 'verse is always looking for bight young individuals with talents such as yours, River. In fact, you could even be working for the Alliance someday."_

River jerked awake, her heart beating rapidly. For a moment she laid there, looking up at the ceiling. "We're dust in the wind. Floating…tiny speckles unaware of the larger motion."

Minutes later, she found herself in the dining area. Mal and Zoe had left earlier to get the cargo, and Simon and Kaylee were still sleeping in her bunk. That left Jayne grumpily awake and eating in the mess.

River sat down in front of him, her posture straight. "Are you enjoying your pieces in watery supplement?"

When Jayne didn't respond and just slurped his protein cereal, River blinked, perplexed. "Do you hear my sounds?"

Jayne gulped his drink, his eyes trained on his mushy breakfast.

She began muttering, "Her language is functioning properly, dialect recognizable, her visage—"

"Aw hell, can't ya go bother someone else…elsewheres?" Jayne grumbled, finally glancing up.

"Occupied," River spoke, relaxing now that she wasn't existing in a fifth dimension.

"Well, don't mean there ain't nothin' else for ya to do 'sides bug me, Moonbrain," Jayne snapped.

River's head tilted slightly as she crossed her legs. "We have not had intercourse since—"

"_Ta ma de!_" Jayne sputtered, spraying his drink. "What the ruttin' hell! We ain't never done inner-course!"

River reeled back, confounded. "We are engaging in intercourse in this moment as in previous moments. You often refer to the girl as 'Crazy' or other impertinent names."

"Ya mean talkin'?" Jayne asked, frowning.

"Correct, is there another meaning?" River questioned.

Jayne opened his mouth to explain, but thought better. Simon or Mal would probably get bent out of shape if _he_ was the one to be talking to the girl about sexing.

River let out a knowing sound. "Thought the girl was speaking of sexual intercourse, an act which has never occurred between these two bodies."

"Ya is gorram right it never occurred 'tween us. I don't touch crazy girls who go killer-like on folk," Jayne asserted. "Now, git, I wanna finish eatin'."

"I do not mind the sound of your chewing," River deflected his request. "Chomp. Chomp. Chomp. Ape man always has foodstuffs."

Jayne shook his head, intent on eating. He couldn't ever remember the crazy girl talking this much.

A low whistling sigh escaped River's lips as she stared out the door, towards the bridge. "It is winter on this planet."

Jayne looked up again, focusing on the forlorn look on the girl's face. "Ya like snow?" He mustered.

"Tiny bits of ice with individualized patterns. At a distance they blur together and no one knows," she responded. "Sometimes."

"Where I'm from," Jayne began, "'s all dust and, well, more dust. Never seen snow 'till I left. Not even in captures."

"Tastes like tranquility," River murmured. "But stay away from yellow."

"Yellow?" Jayne's brow creased in confusion. "What is—" he stopped himself with a grimace. "Nevermind."

River gave him an attempt at a smile. "Persistently informative."

Jayne frowned at her creepy grin. Indulging the crazy girl was not high on his list of things to do. He pushed his bowl forward, and leaned back, crossing his arms.

River studied him intently for a second before imitating his stance. Her expression was a carbon copy of his, right down to the tiny lift on the edge of her lips.

As she moved her arms, Jayne's gaze caught sight of her dusky nipples not quite visible through the translucent white of her shift. That slight view jolted him, and he stood up quickly, taking the dirty bowl.

Unnerved, Jayne let the bowl clatter in the sink. That split-second notice of the girl as something _other_ than a tiny nuisance with a talent for going crazy wasn't right.

Following his action, River, too, stood up, but far more gracefully. Her wide eyes slid to Jayne and caught his eyes for a slow instant.

Jayne almost thought she had Read his notice, and was about to call him on it, but instead she spoke in her distinct calm tone.

"Captain's back," River kept her voice level as she glanced down at her thin shift and bare feet with a frown. "Missing boots and proper garments for subzero climate."

"Be quick," Jayne told her pointedly as he slid back into his normal self. "Ain't nobody here wants to be sittin' on this ice ball for 'nother day."

"_Mei-Quan-Xi,_" River nodded and then a blinding smile lit up her face. "Snowball fight!"

Not wanting to make the girl upset and chance her pitching a fit. Jayne nodded absently. "Yeah, after we git the cargo."

River spun happily, finishing in a ballet pose. "Certain steps must be initiated for this stimulating endeavor."

"Ya need winter stuff," Jayne told her.

River started to the exit, her smile still lingering. "Will Jayne be on my team?"

He paused. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Her grin turned confident. "We'll win. Simon is useless in combat, constantly loses his head."

Even Jayne had to crack a little smirk at that. "Ain't doubtin' that."

River darted out of the room her feet lightening-fast. Jayne could hear her still rambling on about geometric equations or some such and snowballs.

She may have killed a passel of Reavers, came at him with a butcher knife, and done more crazy things than Jayne liked to dwell on, but in that tiny, thin, white shirtdress River looked like any other innocent girl in the world.

Jayne's mind flashed back in the sight through her nightshirt.

Or maybe not.

(A/N: 1. Let me know what you think—it always helps:) 2. 5th dimension in my very limited way I'll try and explain the theory I read: a ghost would have to exist in a 5th dimension (4th-time) in order to be seen but not "physically" effecting its surroundings. Again, my understanding is from a paragraph of a book, so it's not exact. I will mention it again in this series, so I thought I'd explain it.)


	3. Variable

**3.0Variable **

River had a new secret.

Her lips curved upward sweetly and her body hummed in delight. It wasn't a bad secret or a dangerous secret.

It wasn't how many pulse points the body had—18—and how to apply the proper pressure.

It was a good secret. But not hers to have.

She nearly skipped and spun her way to the cargo bay. Her dress today was butter yellow with tiny flowers, a variant from her standard darker colors.

Her hand skimmed over the large stacks of boxes carrying their newest cargo to be delivered in a few hours.

"Hey!" A voice shouted from above her. "Watch for the crates, Crazy."

River sent a glare up at Jayne, but didn't bother to move. Instead, she hoisted herself up on a crate, crossing her legs primly.

A second later, the sound of heavy boots banging on the stairs sent River scrambling to her feet. She placed her hands on her slim hips, her eyes narrowed.

Jayne stood in front of her crate, his jaw tight in anger. "Git offa there now!"

"Preposterous!" River scoffed. She daintily began in a plié and moved into a pirouette.

For a moment, Jayne seemed speechless by her dexterity, but regained his bearings. "Yer gonna break the cargo if ya don't get down," he warned her.

River rolled her eyes, halting her movements, her feet in a relevé.

"Git off or Mal'll space ya an' I'll laugh as ya turn to space ruttin' trash," he growled at her.

"Ineffective terrorization," River teased, smiling again.

"Off or so help me I'll yank ya down by yer hair," Jayne told her seriously. "An' what're ya smilin' 'bout?"

"I know the solution to the conundrum," River told him conspiratorially. "Surprise in a box."

Jayne shifted nervously. "I don't like no surprises in boxes. Ya sayin' there's a grenade or somethin' in there?"

Laughing uproariously, River plopped down into a seated position. "Silly ape." She tilted her head, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Parasite may be more accurate in description." She shook her head, "Ten and ten make twenty."

Definitely worried, Jayne backed up. "Ya sayin' there's a giant bug thing in there?"

River, perplexed, blinked with a slight frown. "Do you snatch answers out of thin air? Ridiculous speculations. I can't give the key to the lock."

Finally, Jayne had enough of her crazy talk. "Mal," he shouted, his voice reverberating through _Serenity_. "Gotta a situation here!"

A minute later, a harried Captain clambered down the stairs. "What? What's wrong?"

Jayne pointed an accusatory finger at River. "Crazy here's been prattlin' on 'bout either a bomb or creepy-crawlies in the crates."

"Erroneous conclusions!" River inputted with wide eyes.

Mal glanced between the pair, trying to assess the situation. "Would someone here talk sensible-like? I ain't doin' nothin' to one of ya explain."

Before River could correctly state the situation with facts, Simon burst into the cargo bay, looking extremely anxious. Kaylee followed with an equally worried expression.

"River, are you alright? I heard shouting," Simon turned to Mal. "What's going on?"

"Don't rightly know. Jayne seems to think lil' one here says there's a problem with the goods," Mal said carefully, crossing his arms.

"Problem?" Kaylee echoed. "River, sweetie, can ya…tell…if there's somethin' wrong?"

"Stop!" She shouted, feeling the repressive anxiety. "Disturbing deviations. No explosive device, no parasite!"

Simon took a step back, speaking low. "I think I'll get a smoother just in case…" He shook his head, puzzled by the sudden negative change of River's mental state.

River leaped off the box, grabbing her brother's arm. "Zygote," she told him with an expectant stare.

Simon paused, his expression turning from nervous to disbelief. "Oh! Someone's pregnant?" he paused, "River…?"

She gave him her patent look. "No, not me. I can't…can't tell," she said significantly.

"Wait," Jayne interrupted. "She was talkin' 'bout a gorram baby?" His incredulity echoed in his voice.

"Now hold it," Mal held up his hand. "I don't like the sound of this. Ain't nobody pregnant on my ship."

"It's possible they don't know," Simon volunteered and then slid a glance in Kaylee's direction.

A faint blush covered the mechanic's face. "Ain't m-me," she stuttered slightly.

"Well then," Mal continued, "reasonably, that leaves two other options."

All five members of the crew stood there uncomfortably, waiting for someone to speak up.

River brought a hand to her head, rubbing her temple. "This is not well. All muddy…It's not mine to tell!"

"Well maybe," Jayne said angrily, "ya shoulda kept yer _feng-le_ trap shut!"

Glaring at the large man, River crossed her arms defiantly. "You retaliated. Called for Captain unnecessarily," she snorted. "Afraid the girl would do something irrational."

"_Bi zui_!" Mal yelled before Jayne could throttle the girl's skinny neck.

"Jayne, you an' me are gonna check the crates. Albatross, yer gonna check our status, make sure we're on course." Mal gave each of them the look, daring someone to refuse.

"Yes, Captain," River replied, her voice tinged with displeasure as she exited the cargo bay.

Instead of griping, Jayne complied reluctantly, and Simon and Kaylee took the opportunity to leave quietly.

River sat in the pilot seat, her knees tucked under her chin. In less than a second, she had mentally assessed their course and how many hours left till they reached Srika.

"River?"

"Approximately 2 hours and ten minutes."

"Ain't why I am here," Zoe told her honestly, "but thanks for the update."

River didn't face the woman nor speak, just kept her steady gaze on the stars.

Zoe moved gingerly, seating herself in the co-pilot chair. "Captain says you know somethin'."

River ducked her head. "Sorry," her voice was muffled.

"He says he don't know who," Zoe continued. "You didn't tell him?"

"Not mine," River spoke clearly. "Not mine to tell, not mine to know. It was an accidental collision, unavoidable. Ape-man was greedy, tore off the ribbon too soon. But individual remains unidentified."

There was a long pause before Zoe spoke again, "Thank you."

"Welcome."

Without a sound, Zoe left the bridge, disappearing down into the dinning area.

A little smile flickered across River's face. "Tiny parts and pieces, growing…big day."

"'s dinnertime, Moonbrain," Jayne called into the room gruffly.

River rose to her feet and glided across the floor to the doorway where Jayne was standing edgily.

With her half-annoyed, half-expectant expression, River told him, "You violated pinky swear." She brushed past him, her skin tingling slightly.

"Also, Zoe is going to kill you."

(A/N: Not a ballet person so if I butchered the words, sorry! Thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming, they're awesome.)


	4. Endeavor

**4.0 Endeavor**

"Albatross, ya comin'?" Mal demanded into the comm., his voice on an edge.

"Approaching," River responded clearly. She guided _Serenity_ smoothly on the dusty moon, near a bar where Mal and Jayne were stumbling out of, throwing punches at the locals.

"This long-standing…tradition of theirs is ridiculous," Inara scoffed from behind River. Her tight grip on the seat belayed her nonchalant words.

"Tradition is a continuous pattern of actions reflecting on a belief of an individual or society," River said absently, pressing a button.

Zoe suddenly entered the room, seating herself in the co-pilot chair. "Everything solid?"

"Yes," River answered, flicking a switch. "Captain and Jayne have completed their mission to disrupt the peace."

"An' no Feds?"

"None, no local officials either," River replied opening the hatch.

The sound of shots reverberated, and Zoe automatically reached for her gun, her face steely. "Guess locals ain't friendly."

The former soldier stood up, but Inara stopped her with a hand on hers. "Zoe…you shouldn't, not with the baby."

Zoe stoic expression remained the same. "Don't make a difference if I'm dead."

"River and I are leading," Inara said firmly, and all three slowly walked down the hall towards the cargo bay.

There were two more shots, a whoop and then the sound of the hatch closing.

"Lil' albatross, take us outta here!" Mal shouted loudly as he bounded up the stairs with Jayne behind him.

"We good?" Zoe questioned as all five returned to the bridge.

Mal grinned wide despite the bleeding cut on his forehead and his bloody knuckles. "Honest brawl, cashy money an' a job. 'S like Christmas mornin'.

Inara rolled her eyes while Zoe suppressed her small smile. Mal sat in the pilot chair and turned to his left.

"Ya ready, lil' one?"

"Yes."

Mal flicked a switch. "Then let's get the hell offa this rock."

A couple hours later, River found herself with nothing to do. She wandered through _Serenity_ feeling restless. No tasks, nothing needed fixing, the dishes were clean…just nothing.

Everyone else had hobbies, non-ship related pastimes that kept them entertained. She could sense them:

Captain and Inara were dancing, but it was a strange one—one of them took a step forward and the other backed up, then they switched roles. It was confusing and complicated to remember all the steps.

Simon and Kaylee were fastened at the hip, laughing and enjoying the comforts of each others' bodies.

Zoe was at the bridge, her hand resting on the faint rounding of her belly, contemplating the fetus's future and its physical appearance. River wondered if Zoe knew how close her imagination matched reality.

That left Jayne and his guns displayed out on the dinner table, each part being polished to perfection. A ritual before jobs, especially ones with unsavory characters and possible traps.

River exhaled. Before Miranda, she had been an object out of place, out of time and function. A useless tool, a handicap.

Now she had a job, a task to perform: keep _Serenity_ in the sky. It was simple and linear, an equation, but River wondered if she could have something more. She had spent so long just trying to see and speak past the jumbled tangle of thoughts and feelings in her brain that she thought much beyond finding her sense of stability and normalcy—the now.

Old dreams and hopes had faded, tattered at the edges and no longer applicable to her current status. New ones had yet to come, filling in the empty spaces.

So now she was hanging in limbo.

"Everyone gather in the mess." The Captain's voice crackled over the comm.

Her bare feet slid against metal as River skimmed to the mess and slid into a vacant seat, her posture perfect.

"Now," Mal spoke in his captain-y voice, "as ya'll may know, we got a job. But it ain't an easy one. It means movin' crates, distractin' unsavory folk and Alliance, and it means a cover."

Kaylee raised her hand tentatively. "What ya need me for?"

"Cover," Mal responded. "We need to override controls to a safe."

With unsure eyes, Kaylee nodded. "What kind?"

Mal handed the mechanic a template. "All the info I got."

Already pondering and measuring, Kaylee spoke carefully, "I think I can do this. But I'm gonna need help."

"Zoe," Mal jerked his head in the mechanic's direction. "Yer helpin' Kaylee. Doc, I need ya ready an' stocked. I ain't plannin' on any injuries, but—"

"Hell, Mal, we all know yer gonna get shot," Jayne interrupted with a snort. He bit into his apple and spoke with a full mouth, "I's a'ways happ'ns."

Mal glared at Jayne before continuing, "Jayne an' I are gonna be the disguise, and River's our cover."

Simon hesitated. "I'm not sure if River is up for—"

"Don't matter," Mal cut the doctor off. "We need help on this one an' if we wanna keep flyin' we gotta do this right."

"Veil," River spoke up. "An anagram of evil."

Mal stared hard at her for a moment. "Ya understand yer purpose, lil' one?"

"Hide behind a mask," she replied.

"Think ya can do it?" Mal asked.

River paused for a second. "Yes."

Simon glanced between the two. "Wait, what are you doing, River?"

Jayne rolled his eyes at the doctor. "Crazy's gonna pretend she's an evil criminal mastermind," he laughed, "all sorts of entertain' innit?"

Shooting a glare in Jayne's direction, Simon pressed, "So everyone knew except me."

"Not 'xactly," Kaylee tried. "I didn't know."

Simon exhaled forcefully. "River, are you sure you want to do this? Last time…"

"Ain't gonna be like that, Doc," Mal said sharply.

River smiled, trying to reassuring her worried brother. "It's just a game. Afterwards we'll have tea and dumplings."

Inara stepped into the room. "Mal, you needed my assistance?"

The Captain stood up and slung an arm around the Companion's shoulder. "Think ya can make our lil' witch here look like a…" he trailed off looking at the crew for help.

Jayne helpfully inputted, "A genius killer whore?"

* * *

"Everyone ready? Kaylee, ya got the code?"

"Yep," Kaylee answered, handing over a small template. "All the directions are on there, but make sure ya follow the blueprint."

"'course," Mal replied and turned to the heavily made up young woman next to him. "Ready, darlin'?"

"Appropriate costume and mask in place," River paused. "It itches a little."

Mal's gaze roved over the black leather pants that looked like they had been painted on, the tiny red silk top and the dangerous looking tattoos that adorned her face and bicep.

"I'd imagine so," he muttered, holding out a hand to help the girl into the mule.

River sat stiffly next to Jayne who was holding Vera. She could feel his eyes straying too long on her. "Avert his gaze, stop staring at the disguise. It's not her."

"Don't need to tell me that," Jayne grumbled, shifting away.

"Yes I do," River countered, smirking a slightly. "You thought I was someone you can touch."

"I didn't!" Jayne protested. "Stop lyin', girlie, or I'll kick ya off."

"It's alright," River said a moment later. "When I saw the reflection I thought I was real too. Opaque and solid."

"Shut up," Jayne snapped, "I ain't gonna listen to yer crazy babble all the way to the drop point."

"Both of ya shut up," Mal shouted over the noise. "Everybody's best friends from now till we get back on the ship with the goods, _dong ma_?"

"Fine," the pair replied from the back reluctantly.

Not more than ten minutes later, Mal stopped the mule and hopped off. A few men hung around, eyeing the arrivals under the brim of their hats.

With watchfulness, River stepped off the mule. She stood there for a moment, unsure how to proceed. Illustrate grace, she thought, desire and power. River let her walk shift from floating to a more sensual swagger.

Fear nothing, River told herself as moved, sandwiched between Mal and Jayne. To the locals, they looked like bodyguards, protecting a precious individual.

"Howdy there, lady," the largest spoke, nodding.

"Do you have my money?" River asked, getting straight to the point. She resisted the urge to pull down the tiny top or sneeze from the makeup on her nose.

"Ya have the goods?"

River tried to emulate the false smile Inara gave to her clients. "Of course." The two words were Mal's signal to return to the mule and grab the crates. Then, Jayne and River were to distract the man in order for Mal to sneak into the building and get the real money.

Jayne shifted so he was standing besides River, Vera held in a threatening manner. He was doing what he did best—intimidate and shoot.

"So where ya folk's from?" The leader questioned, rubbing his silver-streaked beard.

"No business of yours," River answered, her head tilting slightly. Her hair, straight and silky, spilled over her shoulder like a waterfall. She could feel eyes on her, trying to pull her apart, dissect her intentions.

But then there was Jayne. Her skin burned where his eyes glided. It was illogical, she thought feeling confused. Her head snapped in his direction, but he was facing the men with a hard face.

Imagination, she told herself, product of uncertainty and paranoia.

Mal returned with the crates, setting them on the ground. The leader motioned for a lackey to inspect the cargo.

"It's the stuff," the young man called out.

"Well lady, seems like yer gittin' yer money t'day," the leader drawled, adjusting his brim.

At the gesture, an unseen wave hit River, a powerful feeling that made the hair on her neck stand up and her flesh to burst into goosebumps.

"Liar," she breathed.

Mal's hand slid to his pistol. "Well this ain't good," he muttered under his breath.

"Captain," River replied softly, "the girl suggests you attempt to plunder now."

"Girl an' I got it covered," Jayne added.

Mal took a step back. "'scuse me," he said loudly, gesturing to his pocket 'phone'. "Gotta message that needs attendin' to."

The leader's eyes didn't stray from River. "So, ya'll be wantin' yer money now," he began.

"Yeah," Jayne answered for her.

Ignoring the mercenary, the man kept his gaze on River. "Yer man's gotta mouth on 'em."

"Yes, he often resembles an ape with uncontrolled impulses," River replied coolly, "Especially when it comes to weaponry and threatening situations."

Surprisingly, the man laughed. "Don't doubt it." Lightening fast, he whipped out his gun. "'cept I'm thinkin' he ain't a very good bodyguard."

Jayne cocked his gun at the man. "Well, ya'd be thinkin' wrong."

"Yer out numbered," the leader told him, sounding amused. "An', no offense lady, but I sincerely doubt yer gonna be doin' damage. Hell, yer other bodyguard abandoned ya, the foolish _hun-dan_."

Jayne jaw tightened, but he didn't lower his weapon. "Girl, git out," he said in a low voice.

"Aw," the man next to the leader jeered, "sweet innit, Charlie? Big guy thinks he's gonna git his cash and save the pretty lady."

River found herself shaking from the tension thick in the air. She gasped, feeling it choke her. Breathing deeply, she tried to push it all away.

No more a wilting flower, she thought resolutely.

Inara had strapped one of her small pistols to River's ankle for safety. It was an elegant and tasteful piece that reflected the Companion herself, but still functional.

Faster than anyone could see, River yanked it out, aiming at the man sneaking up behind Jayne.

The leader shifted, glancing around. "Lady, ya sure ya wanna do that?"

"One-hundred percent sure," she told him, "no margin for error."

The leader made the slightest nod, but River saw before it happened. She shot the man behind Jayne and spun around quickly, gun cocked at the other man coming from behind her. A well-placed jab took out the smaller man coming straight for her.

In the time span of River's action, Jayne just kept his gun on the leader, ignoring the blur of River Tam.

At display of River's deadly accuracy and speed, the leader backed up, fear leaking into his expression.

"Let's go! We don't need this _go-se_."

The pair refused to lower their weapons until the leader and his remaining two men were out of sight.

River's arm dropped heavily, her whole body quivering. She turned to Jayne. "Intriguing endeavor," she commented. "Girl saved Man-Called-Jayne."

"Hell no ya didn't! All ya did is muck up the job!" He told her, jamming his gun back in its holster.

"Hey!" Mal called out, jogging up to the pair. "Why do we still have the cargo?"

"Got the money?" Jayne asked.

"Disagreeable characters attempted to double-cross," River replied, looking away from the bodies.

Mal looked down then back at River, specifically the pistol in her hands. "Where'd ya git the gun?"

"Ya git the money?" Jayne repeated, agitated.

"Yeah." Mal shot him a look. "Thought we was gittin' rid of the damn cargo."

"Hell, Mal, they double-crossed us. Girl an' I took 'em out." Jayne's foot nudged one of the bodies.

Signing, Mal turned to the cargo. "Help me reload, 'cause we're outta here." He grabbed a crate and headed to the mule.

"Proper response is one of gratitude," River said to Jayne as he picked up the crate. "Say 'thank you'."

"Don't owe ya nothin'," Jayne huffed.

River glared hard. "You refuse to express gratitude to her. She prevented your inevitable gun wound which would undoubtedly strike your brainpan and blow it to pieces."

Jayne blanched.

He hated _feng-le_ Readers and their gorram shiny hair.


End file.
